A familiar convoy consisting of three black transporters stopped at the massive adamantine gate leading towards the vast Schiller-Mansion.

Large pristine white walls, several round pillars with pointy red roofs, and green grass surrounding it made for an elegant image.

A statue of a lion with ruby eyes stares at everyone who wants to pass through the gate.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" A deep voice asked, originating out of the lion.

"Galactic Federation Special Forces, Bloodwatch," I responded out of the first car.

"We need to talk to Mr. Schiller about an urgent topic of utmost urgency."

After a short silence, where the guard surely informed and discussed our arrival with his employee, the adamantine gate opened.

We swiftly proceeded to drive towards the mansion.

Several heavily armed guards stood at and in between the mansions pristine white pillars.

The tension was high; the guards had their fingers on the triggers of their machine guns.

I exited the first transporter, pistol in a holster to my left, machine gun in my hands. Two members of my newly founded Bloodwatch exited the other transporters each, also fully armed.

We grouped up and proceeded towards the luxurious door of the mansion.

The door opened before we arrived, and a bald, middle-aged man in a black suit welcomed us with a smile.

"Please follow me, gentlemen."

He navigated us skillfully through the vast, maze-like mansion into a remote room with a furnace, several armchairs, and another middle-aged man, this time with a white suit, matching the estate's theme.

"Please have a seat," he gestured with his hand to sit down in front of him.

I sat down in the comfortable armchair while my four soldiers kept standing behind me.

"So, who are you, and what do you want from me?" Mr. Schiller asked with visible confusion on his face.

A slight chuckle escaped my lips.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Schilller gaped.

"You know, when I think about the situation you find yourself in, especially with that clueless face, it is just too hilarious."

Mr. Schiller abruptly jumped up from his seat and hit the glass table standing between us, shattering it instantly.

"What situation are you talking about?"

His rage-filled voice, combined with the handgun he pointed at my face, encouraged me to come to my point.

*peng*

"aaaaahahahaahah"

Mr. Schiller cried out loud as one of my soldiers shot the hand carrying the pistol.

Quickly the door at the back of the room opened, and several fully armed people entered the room, machine guns pointed at us.

"Mr. Schiller, I will elaborate on your situation. My name is Chief General Rostov. We have found something very dear to us on a plot of land in the west. I won't specify which one, because you don't need to know. The thing you need to know is that you will have to hand over all of your lands in the west in a designated area, which is described on this map. I'm a fair man, and since you did no wrong, I shall pay you handsomely. Though, selling is mandatory."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Mr. Schiller looked at me with hate in his eyes while holding his bleeding left hand.

"Fools. How dare you come into my house, with only five men at that, and even shoot at me?

Do you honestly believe I will let any of you leave here alive? Shoot them!"

The ten or so guards of Mr. Schiller opened fire.

Bullets sprayed through the expensive room as furniture and walls alike were demolished.

My soldiers and I jumped behind cover as fast as possible; still, everyone got hit with several bullets.

That didn't stop us, though.

I heaved myself up from the floor and emptied my thirty rounds magazine in five seconds. The Bloodwatch followed my actions, with a slight delay, still recovering from the shock of getting shoot at.

We painted the walls red with the blood of our outnumbering enemies.

Slick, one of the four members of the Bloodwatch, didn't stop there. Blood red veins popped out of his body, crazy, hungry eyes looking for their next prey.

He kept stabbing at the corpses of the guards with his knife, drawing more and more blood.

I looked at the other members of the newly created special unit.

William, the bald guy who accepted my offer of the Bloodstones first; Brand, a young, eager man who just reached adulthood; and there is also the bulky Trevor, known for his urge for violence.

Lastly, there is Slick, a lean young man who fell into a blood rush, an often occurrence when weak-willed people use the Bloodstones' powers.

A bullet into his head stopped the crazed onslaught.

"Don't worry, he will recover; he is just out cold," I reassured my comrades.

"I will sell it to you, so please don't hurt me!" Mr. Schiller, whose fear-filled, pale face betrayed the despair he was feeling, begged.

"Don't worry, Mr. Schiller. After all parties signed the contracts, just make sure to let this encounter stay a secret. You know what punishment is enforced for attacking a great military leader of the Galactic Federation."

"Of course, Sir." Mr. Schiller answered in a subservient tone while audibly gulping.

While exiting the mansion, signed papers in hand, the remaining guards didn't try to attack us again and instead held a respectable distance. They must have heard from their coworkers that bullets don't work that well against us.

Slick was again up and kicking by the time we exited the building, though this time without the red veins and the crazed blood rush.

Two days later, our convoy stopped at a medium-sized white mansion, not nearly as luxurious as Mr. Schiller's mansion but in exchange with a great view on a raging river, a three days travel apart from Michigan.

Two guards asked us for our identities, sweating profoundly while doing so. Their shoulders sacked together, and a breath was let loose they didn't even know they were holding when they realized it was the big brother of their employe that was visiting.

"Please this way, Mr. Rostov."

"You guys wait out here; no point in scaring my little sister," I ordered with a chuckle, addressing my Bloodwatch.

A gorgeous woman in her early twenties with long, free-flowing blond-white hair, a height of about 1,75cm, and long, slender legs opened the door.

"Ah, brother!" She exclaimed in surprise as she jumped into my strong, open arms.

"It's nice seeing you too, sis," I said while kissing her on her head.

"Come in." She urged with a happy smile.

"You want some coffee or tea?" She asked.

"A cup of coffee would be nice, thank you."

Since I hadn't seen my sister in half a year now, we exchanged stories of what we have experienced for a long time.

"So what brings you here? You must be so busy; you can't possibly leave a newly-conquered planet unoccupied just because you want to talk with this little sister of yours," Julia suddenly asked me.

I sighed.

"Indeed, you are correct. I will get straight to the chase; I want you as the governor of Orio."

My sister's raised brows clearly indicated that she wasn't convinced.

"I know this sounds like a hella lot of work, which it is, but I need people I can trust in these fundamental positions if I want my plans for the future to succeed. With your help, we will make Orio into a highly advanced planet; also, the citizen will be able to live wealthy and good lives, as you always wished for them. Orio has a good, natural supply of gas, which, if extracted and managed correctly, will make Orio extremely rich and prosperous, as it is the nearest planet to supply the army and merchants alike that trade between the warmongering parties. Furthermore, I want Orio to function as my stronghold of further operations.

Just tell me what you want, and you will get it.

What do you think?"

One hour later, I exited the mansion, Julia in tow.

As planned, I departed several days later, a vast crowd of newly recruited people in my ship.

Additionally to the pilots and my sister, I poached a highly-skilled Ingenieur team to build the machines needed to extract and use the gas on Orio.